Houston hosts first ship-to-ship methanol bunkering in US

Danish shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk’s methanol-capable containership was bunkered with 2,000 mt of methanol on 30 March at the Port of Houston.

IMAGE: Maersk's dual-fuel containership, Tangier Maersk. A.P. Moller-Maersk

Canadian producer Methanex supplied the fuel to the dual-fuel containership Tangier Maersk, Scott Mercurio, low-flashpoint fuels expert at the US Coast Guard, said in a social media post.

The physical ship-to-ship delivery was carried out by Kirby Marine’s tank barge, Kirby 29067.

The bunkering operation followed four months of preparation, including risk assessments and design reviews overseen by the US Coast Guard and its Liquefied Gas Carrier National Center of Expertise.

The delivery marks the first methanol bunkering of its kind in US waters, the US Coast Guard said. It added that this presents “a growing economic opportunity in the United States as demand for alternatives to fuel oil continues to rise.”

By Konica Bhatt

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